Amazing Sunsets

I've been saving up these pictures, but you know I can only hold off for so long! 

These are just a few of the many gorgeous sunsets we've had since we moved here.

August

September

October

November

Take a deep breath and let it out.
The sky is pretty.
Life is good.

Pretty Sunsets

Isn't it about time for a post about clouds? 

I thought so too.

Though there have been some awesome daytime clouds, these are all sunsets.
I have been saving them up for several months now, so these first ones are from Washington.

April 2017

June 2017
Right before we moved--quite a sendoff!

August 2017

Ok, these last 2 are from Utah.

I was trying to capture all the different shades of blue up in the sky, but obviously my camera skills could use some work. Take my word for it--it was really pretty.

Plus--mountains! [sigh] Love it.

p.s. I never realized how much I would enjoy living close to the mountains.
Where some people say they feel blocked in by them, they seem protective to me.
Plus, I can figure out directions a lot better, because I can use the mountains as landmarks! :)

* * * * *
Are you a wide open spaces kind of person, or do you like some mountains in your skyline?
Tell me everything!

Winterizing Your Mind, courtesy of Vivian Swift

I'm going to admit it straight out: January is my least favorite month. The excitement of Christmas is over, and the sudden stillness left in its wake feels deafening. It always feels to me like the year picks up speed from the start of the school year on through to Christmas, then it just stops. I am mostly an introvert, and you would think I would find it peaceful to have some downtime after all the hoopla. I do...for a couple of days. I take down all the Christmas decorations and feel like I can breathe in my living room again. Clear surfaces! Space!

Then I start drumming my fingers. I look outside. Same as before: deep snow and building tops. I read [another] book. I send my children to school and pick them up again. Only 5 1/2 more months to go before school gets out. I usually love school--when I was in it, and now that my kids are in it. Except in January. It just feels like a long, long, road from here to summer, is all I'm saying.

(For some reason, in Fall Semester it seems that we hardly ever have a full month of school, what with all the breaks. In comparison, Spring Semester is just relentless. It's 2 months longer to begin with, and you get very few breaks. Oh sure, there's a 3-day weekend here and there, but other than that, get that nose to the grindstone and good luck.)

I make my resolutions and goals, I put on multiple sweaters, I make soup. I put laminated snowflakes up on all the windows, just to give us all (me) something pretty and interesting to look at. Somehow I get through it every year, but not very gracefully. More like stoically.

So when I encountered this idea of "winterizing your mind" in Vivian Swift's book, I latched on to it. THIS is what I need in January! I'm going to try it. I may even report back at the end of the month. (Scroll down if you don't want to hear about the book first!) It's from her book: When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put.

It was one of my Christmas presents, and I was so happy to see it! This is one that has been on my list ever since I happened upon another of hers: Gardens of Awe and Folly.  Like that one, it is all hand-lettered words, with sketches, watercolor paintings, and asides throughout.

So this one--as the title suggests--reads like a journal. It's divided up into months. Each month's section has a timeline page, of sorts, listing various weather events or outings. Then each one also includes little tidbits here and there about enjoying the month you're in, random asides about clothing or neighbors or cats, memories from her travels, important keepsakes, etc. It's just a lot of fun. I sat right down on Second Christmas afternoon and read it cover to cover.

[Um...Second Christmas? Let me sum up: we went to Utah and Idaho for Christmas this year, but we only brought along stockings, because trying to bring everything else would have made us all (okay, mostly my husband and I) crazy. Plus, no room in the van. That meant the day after we got back home again was Second Christmas! Ho ho ho! Opened all the presents and had a "proper breakfast," per my daughter's requirement, although she agreed cereal and scrambled eggs qualified.]

It's quirky, and probably not everybody's cup of tea, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.


So for all of us enduring January rather than enjoying it, I quote from page 5:

How To Winterize Your Mind:

One: See the sun rise and set every day.
The average night is 13 1/2 hours long. We spend most of January in the dark. Don't miss a minute of daylight.

Two: Learn how to draw a tree.
Now is the best time to see what a tree REALLY looks like. Draw one a day.

Three: Put something beautiful in your room so that it's the first thing that you see when you wake up. (She has a list of possibilities. I'm thinking of my own.)

Four: Mend something with your hands.
Sew it, glue it, nail it, FIX IT.

Five: Seahorses, ladybugs, wooly bear caterpillars, and dragonflies do it--HIBERNATE.
Life is but a winter dream.

Today's sunset was worth a very cold moment on the porch with the camera.

What do you do to get through January?

Look to the Skies

Or in other words, more clouds!

Hey, I've been saving up--but they can't wait forever!

Mostly cumulous this time around.

Those puffy white clouds get me every time.

The first picture also serves to illustrate the topography of my town.

This is not the top of my hill, but one of many in town.

Everywhere you live is on a hill, if you live here.

Nice combination of stratus and cumulous in this shot.

(Did you like how I threw in 2 cloud names there? I'm practicing...)

These next two were from our Labor Day hike.

Cloud shadows on the wheat fields.

Fall is golden around here.

And...what was making those cloud shadows.

Yes, I had my husband pull over so I could take this picture.

Yes, he was rolling his eyes.

Ha! It's all good.

There have also been some stunning sunsets in the past few months.

I only managed to snap pictures of a few of them.

We even had some gorgeous sunsets on our trip to Utah.

I only got the one picture, but almost every night there was beauty.

Sunset behind the mountains--be still my heart.

This was another side of the road shot, though it was a city road not country in this case.

I got some weird looks and honks.

Hey, you do what you have to do when there's a pretty sky out there.

Fall colors...with clouds.

My daughter took this picture.

She told me the other day that she wants to start studying clouds and rain.

YES! Bringing the next generation on board...

Really, though--how cool is this cloud for her first picture?

Somewhat tornado shaped (no, it wasn't rotating), with a horizontal rainbow right through the middle of it.

Kudos, girl!

Maybe if she starts taking some cloud pictures, we'll get something other than cumulus and sunsets around here!

Sunsets and Pretty Clouds

You thought my obsession with clouds had faded away, didn't you? Ha!

Actually, it has faded somewhat, but I still stop in my tracks and reach for a camera when I see a gorgeous sky.

I have saved up cloud pictures for the past few months.
Mostly because I figure photos of clouds might not be as interesting to everyone else as they are to me.
You're welcome.

Let's start with the sunsets, shall we?

The first 4 fall into the category: "Probably prettier in person."
(How's that for some alliteration?)

Okay, you ready for this awesomeness?

Wow. I hadn't seen a sunset like that in a long time!
[Happy sigh.]

We'll end with a few of the regular variety:

I hope your weekend includes lots of beautiful skies!

Clouds are Amazing! Books for Kids

[Today was a good cloud day.]

I have been strangely obsessed with clouds lately. I know! It's weird. Clouds are clouds, right? But for some reason, I keep noticing how beautiful they are. I never used to notice them at all, really. I mean, sunsets--sure, but just everyday clouds? Nah.

All that has changed. Every day is "Cloud Appreciation Day" around here--at least for me. I think my family might be getting tired of me exclaiming--"Those clouds are so pretty!" almost every time I go outside.

It's the worst when I'm driving, because I want to look at the clouds instead of watching the road. Head in the clouds? Yeah. Literally. With all the rain we've had for the last several weeks, I've had lots of chances to admire them in many varieties.

[I actually found a place to park so I could get this picture!]

I figured while I was at it, I may as well find some books about clouds to read with my kids, because nothing feeds an obsession like reading more about it. Yes! Also, it might be nice to go beyond: "Oooh, look at the pretty clouds," to actually knowing what types they are and stuff.

Picture Books:

The Cloud Book, by Tomie de Paola

(No, that is not Big Anthony on the cover.) De Paola discusses the 10 most common types of clouds, with cleverly drawn illustrations to make his point. He also mentions various cloud-related legends, and weather/cloud related sayings.

This one was checked out when I went to gather my books, but it looked so good from the description that I decided to wait for it to come back. I'm glad I did! Informative, with humorous pictures, and even a short & silly cloud story at the very end.  This is one I could see owning.

Cloudette, by Tom Lichtenheld

Cloudette is a very small cloud. She really likes it, most of the time, except when all the big clouds rush off to do something important. She wants to help too, but there's no job just right for a cloud her size. Then one day she gets blown out of her usual neighborhood, and finds a frog that could really use her help.

The best part of this one was all the side comments on every page. Expressive illustrations, and a little cloud with big dreams. Loved it!

It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw

What can those shapes be? "It looked like a bird, but it wasn't a bird..."
A classic; with a refrain on almost every page that makes it great for early readers.

Little Cloud, by Eric Carle

Little Cloud changes into lots of different shapes, before joining the big clouds and raining.

This one is a lot like It Looked Like Spilt Milk, but it's not set up as a guessing game. Simple text, with Carle's signature painted/cut-paper illustrations.

Olga the Cloud, by Nicoletta Costa

Olga is another little cloud, who just wants to rain on something! Everyone chases her away, until finally Gino the bird shows her just where to go to make some rain.

Quirky and charming.

Sector 7, by David Weisner

Wordless story of a boy who makes friends with a cloud and gets a ride to the cloud factory. So many details on every page! A book to savor.

Magical and fun! This was actually my first exposure to this Caldecott Honor winner. I can tell I need to seek out more of these wordless picture books--my kids didn't really know what to do with it when I brought it home.

Thirsty Thursday, by Phyllis Root
Illustrated by Helen Craig

Every person, animal, and plant on Bonnie Bumble's farm is suffering for a drink. Just when they think they can't take it anymore, a little cloud comes along. Bonnie knows just what to do to tickle that cloud into raining.

Clever wordplay with a very satisfying conclusion. This one's a winner!

[Yes, I will be inflicting more cloud pictures upon you in the future!]

Juvenile Nonfiction:

Look under J 551.57 at your local library

Easy Reader:


Clouds, by Anne Rockwell
Illustrated by Frane Lessac

Very simple text, with paintings of the different types of clouds. It goes into the 3 layers of clouds, highest to lowest. After a brief overview of that layer, each type of cloud then gets a paragraph-long explanation with further details, including what type of weather to expect when you see those particular clouds.

Great basic introduction to clouds and weather.

Clouds: A Compare and Contrast Book, by Katherine Hall

One full sentence per 4 pages, in large type, with gorgeous full-color photo spreads at every page turn. The back of the book has lesson-extending material, such as science experiments, a matching game, and a page about predicting the weather.

With its brevity, this one could even be used with preschool-aged children.





Middle Grade:

The Kids' Book of Clouds & Sky, by Frank Staub

Written in a question-answer format, this one would be perfect for a child giving a report, or to pick and choose questions of most interest. Answers are given over 1-2 pages, with at least 1 color photo accompanying them to illustrate. Many whole pages are filled with captioned photographs.

Questions cover everything from "Where does the wind come from?" to "Why is the moon white, and why does it look so big?" So while it does cover clouds, it also ranges much further than the other books. Answers are written in accessible, conversational style. Several pages also include experiments to do at home.

The book also includes a Table of Contents listing every question, plus a Glossary and an Index in the back.

I'm fascinated (surprise, surprise)! Just paging through, I stopped to read several of the questions and answers. In case you aren't already impressed by Staub, he took all the photos for the book himself. [He wins the Awesome prize!] I plan to let my kiddos take turns choosing a question, then reading the answer together. This would be another great one to own, just for when curiosity strikes. Hmm...my birthday is coming up!

Peterson First Guide to Clouds and Weather, by John A. Day and Vincent J. Schaefer

One of the strengths of this book is its size: at just 6x3 inches (tall/wide), it is just right for slipping into a backpack for a hike. After the introduction, each type of cloud gets a 2-page spread, with 1-3 paragraphs of information about it and captioned color photos. It also covers Unusual Clouds, Color in the Sky, Precipitation & the Water Cycle, Weather Forecasting, and more.

This one would probably be most helpful for grades 4 and up, based on vocabulary and length of text. The photos could be enjoyed or used by a wider range of ages trying to pick out what type of cloud is up there.

[Don't even get me started on sunsets. Wow!]

Do you have any favorite books about clouds? Or pretty cloud photos you want to share with me? I will be a very appreciate audience, pinky promise! 

This post is linked up with Literacy Musing Mondays. Stop by there for some more reading-related inspiration!